After a lengthy legal battle, Marilyn Milum and her family have resolved their dispute with the City of Phoenix. They have owned a century-old laundry building in downtown Phoenix for generations, as reported by ABC 15.
In an embattled journey to sell their property, which was rendered useful for neither insurance nor public use, the Milums faced an unexpected hurdle when the city aimed to slap a historic label on the building. "We don't think it's safe for any kind of public use," Marilyn Milum told ABC 15.
The city's attempt to give the property a historic designation disrupted their plans, leaving it stuck in escrow for two years and causing a deal to fall through in 2023. "We were going to keep the property and sell it," Marilyn stated in an interview obtained by Citywalks.ca, sharing the distress over the unforeseen restriction that landed after the sale of their business.
On Wednesday, Councilman Carlos Galindo-Elvira of District 7 led a motion that resulted in the Phoenix City Council siding with the Milum family and rejecting the planning commission's historic designation. This shift was confirmed during the council's vote, according to details from Citywalks.ca. "We're glad this is finally behind us and that the city of Phoenix finally saw reason and did the right thing. This property represents our retirement nest egg and we finally feel like we can begin our retirement," Marilyn Milum expressed in a statement acquired by ABC 15.
The Milum family can now apply for a new demolition permit. This allows them to move forward with their plans and proceed toward retirement as originally intended.
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